Woodward Day Care Employee Sexually Assaulted 4-Year-Old While On The Job, Affidavit Says

An employee at a daycare in Woodward was arrested for sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl while the suspect was on the job, court documents said.

Police arrested 19-year-old Tyler Anthony Kniest on Tuesday on a complaint of child sexual abuse, according to the probable cause affidavit. He was being held on a $250,000 bond and was ordered not to have contact with children.

Kniest was an employee at Boomer Kids Club, a daycare and afterschool program on Cherry Avenue in Woodward. The affidavit said Kniest sexually abused a 4-year-old girl, who then told her mother.

The 4-year-old victim said Kniest touched her buttocks during nap time, the affidavit said. The child’s parents then immediately went to the daycare to request surveillance video.

The daycare owner contacted Kniest’s mother, who also worked at the daycare. The mother said Kniest confessed that he inappropriately touched the 4-year-old, the affidavit said.

Police watched the surveillance video of Kniest’s classroom, which showed the suspect lying down next to the victim during nap time, according to the affidavit. The suspect then sexually assaulted her, the document said. The details of the alleged act are too graphic to be included in this article.

News 9 went to the Boomer Kids Club to see if anyone was willing to comment. But the door was locked and despite News 9 ringing the doorbell multiple times, no one answered.

The daycare later texted News 9 a statement.

“We are working closely with the proper authorities and agencies and we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation. As always, the safety of our children is our top priority,” the daycare’s statement said.

In addition, the daycare told News 9 that Kniest was immediately terminated and his mother no longer works there.

Police said forensic interviews were being conducted on three other children Friday to see if they were victims of Kniest. About seven families total reached out to the police with concerns.

One family told News 9 they believe their one-year-old granddaughter may have been sexually abused at the daycare. They said several families have not been notified by the daycare of what happened.

One parent showed News 9 a message he received from the daycare, which mentioned that “an incident” had occurred and that law enforcement and Oklahoma Human Services were involved. The daycare also said in its message that classrooms will be combined to provide two teachers per class and that office personnel will begin random sleep checks in addition to close video monitoring.

Police said they believe Kniest is the only suspect. They said Oklahoma Human Services is also investigating.